The use of radially constricting band clamps and coupling devices for joining tube sections together is common. In automotive applications, such clamps may be utilized to connect cooling hoses to an engine or radiator, for instance. Applications that experience higher pressures and flows, such as pressurized or boosted engine intake systems that receive compressed intake air from an exhaust driven turbocharger or supercharger may require specialized band clamps such as V-band type clamps for connecting the abutting flanges on the ends of the turbocharger compressor inlet and the engine intake runner, for example, and on mating pipe ends in general. When tightened, the V-band type clamps apply a wedging action including an axial force component that axially draws the flanges into sealing contact with each other, or with an interposed gasket.
The application just described requires precise alignment of the inner diameters of the turbocharger compressor inlet and the engine intake runner in order to avoid flow disruption at the joint interface. Such a misalignment may cause a reduction in fluid flow through the joint resulting in reduced turbocharger efficiency as well as unwanted intake system noise. Alignment tabs and corresponding receiving slots are one solution to the radial alignment problem. The aforementioned solutions may result in lower than expected performance due to the placement of the tabs in the flow stream as well as tolerance stack-up issues in the castings that may allow for some degree of joint misalignment.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide for less intrusive axial alignment of such joints.